May 30, 2018

Ellende - Todbringer

By Hera Vidal.
Ellende returns to form with their second album, Todbringer (“death bringer”), which brings back their florid passages in High German, their emotionality, and, of course, their musicianship.

Ellende returns to form with their second album, Todbringer (“death bringer”), which brings back their florid passages in High German, their emotionality, and, of course, their musicianship. Everything that made Ellende fantastic is brought back on this album, only on a greater, broader scale. However, on this album, they seem to have dialed back on the black metal and have decided to mostly focus on the backing elements of the album. There is a lot of acoustic elements that can be heard throughout the album, but they aren’t left in the dust by the resounding black metal or by the impressive build-ups the songs have. In fact, they tend to bring some color on an album that reeks of death and destruction. One can even claim that Todbringer is possibly darker than its predecessor, and with good reason.

Once again, we return to the musicianship and emotional range of the album itself. Unlike Ellende, which seemed to use more strings than actual electrical instruments, the roles are switched this time. While the acoustic elements exist, they are not the focus. Even on the quieter aspects of the songs, they are still in the background, adding color and light into their music. Of course, the whole album is now built on the vocals and the emotional range, which are harsher, darker, and almost unhinged. There is something to be feared in the contrast between the slow, almost ethereal music and the screeching, harrowing vocals that come and go between passages of music. The pain is almost unbearable and it sucks you into only feeling what Ellende is feeling. The music becomes heightened, the vocals become heightened, and the urgency that strikes only cements what you already know: by the end of this, the speaker—or someone else—is going to die.

However, as the album progresses, the music becomes melodic and hopeful, negating the aspect of death. Towards the end of the album, there seems to be an acceptance of some sort. Whether the person has accepted their death or has accepted that, despite the urgency and the need to die, they have decided to remain hopeful. The music is no longer aggressive and filled with woe; rather, it employs softer elements and focuses more on the musicianship. In the beginning, everything was about the musicianship in regards to the vocals and the emotional range the vocals and the music provided. Now, the musicianship takes center stage, allowing the listener to fully bask in the beauty of the music. 50 minutes isn’t enough to get a full experience; you have to listen to it again to fully understand it.

All in all, Todbringer is a testament of Ellende’s skill and vision. Ellende may be a one-man project, but the people Lukas has collaborated with are fully with him to share his vision. He know what he wants out of it, and he knows what he wants to make with his group of musicians. Once again, Ellende proves that, sometimes, expert musicianship is all you need to make something beautiful, even when the language barrier exists. I have high hopes for Ellende and I am quite excited to see what else they bring in the future.